"Eye poke like that can change the fight" - MMA pros react to the bizarre UFC Seattle outcome as Henry Cejudo loses technical decision to Song Yadong

In an unforeseen twist at UFC Seattle, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo was forced to end his bout against Song Yadong after a controversial incident left him unable to see.

The fight, held at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, took a dramatic turn late in the third round when an illegal double eye poke struck Cejudo, compromising his vision just as he was mounting a comeback.

The incident unfolded with less than a minute remaining in the third round. Immediately following the eye poke, Song Yadong also delivered a questionable groin kick. Despite the barrage of illegal moves, Cejudo persisted, using his full five-minute recovery period in a bid to revive.

However, as he returned to his corner, Cejudo repeatedly alerted his coaches that his vision remained blurred. With mounting concerns for the fighter’s safety, referee Jason Herzog halted the bout after briefly commencing the fourth round, ultimately ruling the contest a technical decision.

Since the fight had completed three full rounds of the scheduled five, the judges’ scorecards came into effect. Song was awarded a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27, despite having committed the fight-ending foul.

This loss marks Cejudo’s third consecutive defeat since his return from a surprise retirement in 2020. His previous outings include a split-decision loss to Aljamain Sterling and a unanimous decision against Merab Dvalishvili.

The eye-poke incident has sparked widespread debate among MMA professionals. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos stated:

"Ref should take a point from Song. Eye poke like that can change the fight"

Derek Brunson and Jamahal Hill also weighed in on the fight. Brunson wrote:

“Cejudo wilding out here tonight 😂😂😂”

The light-heavyweight wrote:

“These Significant strike numbers seem off!!!”

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fellow fighters and analysts react to UFC Seattle's main event. [Screenshot courtesy: X]